Hamsadhwani’s ‘Parampara Concert’ celebrates Malladi musical legacy

The Hamsadhwani auditorium witnessed a special celebration of musical lineage last Saturday, when Malladi Suribabu received the Sathguru Thyagaraja Hamsadhwani Award. The felicitation was followed by a ‘Parampara Concert’ featuring three generations of musicians of the Malladi family — Suribabu, Sree Ramaprasad and Ravikumar on vocal, with Malladi Sindhu Rageswari on the violin and Malladi Sree Aravind Karthik and Malladi Sivanand Yasasvi on double-mridangam.

The concert began with Annamacharya’s ‘Vandeham jagadvallabham’ in Hamsadhwani, tuned by Sripada Pinakapani. Suribabu’s alapana was clear and assured, followed by kalpanaswaras at the pallavi, with all three vocalists taking turns. The brief Darbar alapana preceding Tyagaraja’s ‘Narada guruswami’ was particularly effective, with Suribabu bringing out the raga’s characteristics through clear and distinctive prayogas.

Sree Ramaprasad presented a raga alapana in Mukhari for ‘Talachinantane’ by Tyagaraja. His alapana was precise and well-rounded, establishing the raga without unnecessary elaboration. The composition was presented with all its charanams, followed by niraval at ‘Nada brahmananda roopa’, handled mostly by Suribabu, without swaraprastara.

Mohanam brought one of the concert’s most memorable moments. Suribabu’s alapana revealed his ability to explore the raga to its fullest, with remarkable sustain and a confident ascent into the upper octave. His treatment was marked by a vivid sense of imagination and a deep engagement with the raga’s possibilities. Sindhu Rageswari’s violin alapana was equally assured. Tyagaraja’s ‘Mati matiki’, in Misra Chapu, followed.

Ravikumar’s Sriraga alapana before Tyagaraja’s ‘Nama kusumamula’ was clear and creative. The swaras at ‘Nada swaramane’ included passages in two speeds, with the final korvai adapted from the swara pattern of ‘Endaro mahanubhavulu’. This was followed by the tani avartanam.

The latter part of the concert moved through Annamacharya’s ‘Maya mohanu’ in Jog and ‘Govardhana giridhara’ in Shuddha Sarang, the latter attributed to Narayana Tirtha. Both were tuned by Suribabu. The concert concluded with a Surutti viruttham ‘Vyaso naigama’ sung by Suribabu.

The double-mridangam support was particularly effective. Both Aravind and Sivanand Yasasvi demonstrated a good knowledge of the phrasing and the compositions, responding appropriately without ever becoming intrusive. Sindhu Rageswari provided pleasant and sensitive support on the violin, particularly during the manodharma portions.

What stood out through the concert was the close coordination between the three vocalists. At times, their voices blended seamlessly, reflecting the musical understanding and ease that comes from a shared lineage and years of singing together. The evening was a warm celebration of parampara, with the Malladi musical tradition passing naturally from one generation to the next, with assurance and sensitivity.